Washington County sheriff updates investigation after five killings and arson near Forest Grove
Authorities say Benjamin Parker, the boyfriend of victim Stella Kimsey, killed five people and five animals on a rural property, set fires, and died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Washington state.
A rural property outside Forest Grove was the scene of a mass shooting and arson that left five people and five animals dead, officials said. Detectives identified 26-year-old Benjamin Parker, the boyfriend of victim Stella Kimsey, as the suspect after phone-location data and a confession to his mother. Parker was later found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in a truck near Enumclaw, Washington.
The victims were identified as Stella Kimsey, her mother Rowan Kimsey, her grandmother Mary Kimsey, Stella’s friend Linsey Mae Haraldsen and Haraldsen’s partner Alvin Raymond Chu. All were shot, investigators said, with a .22-caliber handgun, and the bodies were found near the driveway of the main house. Four dogs and two cats were also shot; an injured cat was later euthanized.
Firefighters responding to a neighbor’s 911 call about a vehicle fire on Saturday morning discovered the first bodies while extinguishing the blaze. Deputies secured the scene, obtained a search warrant and recovered numerous shell casings and tarps used to cover the bodies before the fires were set.
Phone-location records showed Parker’s device left the property shortly before the fire and later reactivated near Enumclaw, where he called his mother and admitted planning the killings. He told her he intended to kill three people but two additional victims died, and he also confessed to killing the animals and setting the fires.
Law enforcement in Washington and Oregon coordinated the investigation, issuing an arrest warrant for five counts of first-degree murder. When officers approached Parker’s truck, they found him dead from a gunshot to the head and recovered a .22-caliber handgun believed to be the murder weapon.
Detective Mark Povolny said investigators are continuing forensic analysis and will provide the families with any answers that can be found, even though the suspect will not face trial. The Kimsey family issued a statement honoring the victims and thanking responders for rehoming the farm livestock.